Why Sask.'s physician regulator is axing its unplanned pregnancy policy
The Council of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan has rescinded its guidelines on how physicians should handle unplanned pregnancies.
Associate Registrar Bryan Salte told CTV News the council at its June meeting questioned why the college would have a guideline for terminating pregnancies when it doesn't have guidelines for other procedures.
"And I think that part of the message was it potentially stigmatizes this, to have it as part of a very specific standalone policy that says we have to deal with unplanned pregnancies in a very specific way and set up a bunch of specific rules for it," he told CTV News.
The guideline had included clinical expectations such as confirming the pregnancy and determining any abnormalities, Salte said. It also set expectations about providing information to the patient about their options, including maintaining the pregnancy, and what they should be told if they choose to terminate the pregnancy.
Even without the unplanned pregnancy guidelines, physicians are obligated under informed consent regulations to discuss the risks, benefits and treatment options a patient has in terminating a pregnancy as they do with all other medical conditions, Salte said.
Doctors with a conscientious objection to ending a pregnancy or other issues such as birth control or genetic testing must arrange for the patient to obtain that information from somebody who doesn't have a conscientious objection.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.